Not taking any initiative and being afraid of taking over any responsibility yourself is one of the things that are and were lacking in my country of origin. Exactly the same thing as in China. China is no exception, and that thing you have mentioned is one of those things that I was referring to with "shadows of the past".

I bet you will find that in many more nations with similar systems, and this is one of the things one needs to reflect upon and understand...

Mosr definitely pearls of wisdom, Turnoi. It'll take a few generations for the people of mainland China to 'westernise' attitudinally, though not everything western is desirable in a cultural sense. Let's not be too judgemental regarding their present shortcomings. They need time to adjust their outlook on a host of issues.